Concerns heard on new curbs

By Scott Rawdon

BUCKEYE LAKE- Some Buckeye Lake businesses owners are concerned that the new curbs on Hebron Road will interferewith their parking.

“I’ve got 60 feet (wide) of a building, and that’s my parking,” said Mike Luke, who owns Mike’s Auto Service on Hebron Road. He generally parks vehicles waiting to be serviced between his building and Hebron Road. A six-inch high curb in front of his building would eliminate most of his parking.

Luke supports the curb work in general, but wants business needs to be respected. He said at first village engineers designed just a 10 foot wide curb cut in front of his Hebron Road garage door. Later they offered a 22 feet-wide curb cut. Any raised curb in front of his building would hurt his business, said Luke.

“We know what (Luke) wants, and that’s fine,” said Buckeye Lake Service Director Tim Matheny. He believes everyone’s concerns are addressed including those of Our Lakeside Diner, and Louie’s Corner House, which received lower curbs as well. Matheny said one consideration is that sidewalks supporting automobile traffic must be twice as thick as those supporting pedestrian traffic – eight-inches thick as opposed to four-inches – simply because vehicles are heavier than pedestrians.

Matheny said that as the curbing project progresses, the village will hold public meetings with affected business owners to view plans and discuss concerns before any work is done.

Mayor Rick Baker said the Hebron Road curbing project would continue during the next three years. There will be no curb work in front of Luke’s property this year. He said he met with the business owners near the North Shore Boat Ramp entrance and he agrees with Matheny that issues associated with curbs and parking have been resolved. “It’s going to be more attractive for customers to come into their businesses,” he said. Curb cuts will less of a concern as the project progresses, said Baker, because Hebron Road becomes more residential further north, and there’s more open space.

“I think we’ve got it all worked out,” said Debbie Williamson of Louie’s Corner House. “We’ll figure it out when it rains, if there’s flooding and stuff,” she said, but she doesn’t anticipate any problems.